World Population Day (WPD) is commemorated every year on 11 July to mark the urgency and importance of population issues and solutions. Issues such as the importance of family planning, human rights, gender equality, maternal health, poverty, and their relation to the growing population are raised and discussed. The Covid-19 pandemic has hugely disturbed people, communities, and economies worldwide. However, not everyone has been affected equally. Keeping this fact in mind, observing WPD is all the more pertinent.
History of World Population Day
On 11 July 1987, the world population touched five billion, thus catching public interest. The Governing Council of the United Nations Development Program 1989 began observing July 11 as World Population Day.
What is India’s current population?
the population of India was observed to be 1.21 billion during Census 2011. The current population is estimated to be 1.37 billion. The most populated state is estimated to be none other than Uttar Pradesh and the least populous is Sikkim with 6.83 lakh approximately.
United Nations (UN) Awards on WPD
Introduced last year, the UN is giving away Change Champions awards 2022 to praise and honor inspiring change-makers from around the world who are working on urgent global issues such as population pressure and finding global solutions, and also working toward the empowerment of women and girls. A young Indian Vineeta Meena from Karauli, Rajasthan has won the award ‘Young Campaigner’ and will be awarded by the UN on World Population Day 2022. She, along with nine other girls, founded ‘Rajasthan Rising’ during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020 to campaign in favor of access to education for girls and an end to child marriage.
Higher Population = Higher Pandemic Risk
The Covid-19 pandemic has proved how vulnerable our global population is to novel diseases. From Covid to SARS to Ebola, all epidemics and pandemics have been a result of man’s relentless exploitation of nature. A huge population means our destructive activities are amplified, and high population density makes it easy for new viruses to spread.
Vulnerable Countries
Without preventative strategies, pandemics will emerge often, spread rapidly, kill easily, and affect the global economy with a more devastating impact. The areas with the most rapid population growth become impacted by the most humanitarian crises.
What to do?
Humanitarian development measures are immediately needed to curb the global population explosion. This includes girls’ education, comprehensive family planning programs, and advancing women’s rights. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to achieve a good quality of life for all on a healthy planet isn’t an impossible dream if all countries work together to achieve it.
The Way Forward
Even if we are eight billion today, let’s not forget we have 8 billion opportunities to protect human rights and make informed choices about whether and when to have children. We can surely work together towards greater equality and solidarity to ensure that our planet can support our needs and those of future generations. Let’s take a pledge in the right direction!